# I pit my obsessive-parent neighbor **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 28, 2013, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396 "2013-08-28T13:02:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![FuriousGeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecae2f/32.png) [@FuriousGeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuriousGeorge)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/41 "2013-08-28T16:43:07Z")
> [@storyteller0910](#): > > There is a hint regarding why people in general care about things like this, and it’s not-too-subtly tucked away in **MsWhatsit’s** strawman representation of “Camp 1” a few posts above. > > As for me? Well, my mom and/or father and/or stepfather drove me to high school every day until I got my own car (well, more precisely, until my then-girlfriend got her own car). The bus didn’t come to my house, as it was too close to the school; I could have walked - indeed, _did_ walk, every day, from school to home - but I didn’t. The drive took about ten minutes, including traffic. On the drive, we talked. Usually, it was just administrative stuff - what’s happening today and when - which I have always found most useful early in the day. Other times, we had more serious conversations. It was a practical time for such things. At the dinner table? I had a seven year old brother and six year old sister, and I was even less likely to talk seriously with my mom or dad in front of them than in front of my friends. Bedtime? Whose? By the time I was 14 I had no formal bedtime at all, and at the time my mom and stepfather went to sleep I was usually either on the phone or studying. So we had our system and it worked for _us._ And I can tell you that no one worth a minute’s time at my school gave one single tiny crap about how I got to the building that day, or dedicated even one passing thought to whether or not it was “weird.” > > Now it doesn’t work for everyone. There are lots of potentially valid approaches to parenting that all result in a good, happy, well-adjusted kid who likes and respects his parents. Did the parents of my friends who did walk to school love them less than mine loved me, or care less about spending time together? Of course they didn’t. They just found other times and places, that worked for _them._ > > Anyway, now I have a daughter. The bus picks her up from the foot of my driveway, and I’m usually long gone by the time she even wakes up. But on days when I am working from home, or have a day off, I’ll usually walk down with her and we’ll wait for the bus together. And we’ll talk about whatever; sometimes it’s meaningful; sometimes it’s not. And yes, there are plenty of other chances to talk, but here’s one chance and we take it. It’s fun. I like hanging out with my kid; she’s pretty cool. Do you think that it’s weird? Because my kid doesn’t, and frankly, I care _way_ more about what she thinks of my parenting than what you do. Well stated. ---
**Author:** ![Crumbled\_Bumble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac91a4/32.png) [@Crumbled\_Bumble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crumbled_Bumble)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/42 "2013-08-28T16:58:36Z")
That’s all well and good… But honestly, I don’t give a fuck. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/43 "2013-08-28T17:02:59Z")
> [@Astroboy14](#): > > I don’t have any kids, and know nothing about raising children; so of course I must have an opinion. > > You are all bad parents with dirty, ugly children. > > Let me know when you need parenting advice… I’m in this camp. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Crumbled\_Bumble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac91a4/32.png) [@Crumbled\_Bumble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crumbled_Bumble)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/44 "2013-08-28T17:06:20Z")
> [@Astroboy14](#): > > I don’t have any kids, and know nothing about raising children; so of course I must have an opinion. > > You are all bad parents with dirty, ugly children. > > Let me know when you need parenting advice… I remember when I had my first beer… ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/45 "2013-08-28T17:08:15Z")
Yeah, sorry I’m not seeing any need to judge these types of people. (Except for sitting in an idling car part. That’s illegal where I live. And I’m pretty sure someone would say something pretty soon.) Now if she shut the car off, I’ve no need to judge truly. How do you know her kid isn’t struggling with social issues? Or hasn’t suffered some enormous trauma, in her past, needing a pep talk or prayer to face each day? People are not obligated to make their emotional/health conditions public so you won’t judge them, you know! ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/46 "2013-08-28T17:35:03Z")
I had a neighbor who did a similar thing. Our neighborhood is shaped like a triangle with the school on one point. This family lived on the first block by the school and actually had a back gate that opened onto the school property. The traffic is one way in the morning into and out of the school property. This mom would drive her Hummer around the block twice a day to pick up and drop off her kids. One day their dad walked the kids to school and met up with me and my kids at the end of their block, just where the sidewalk turns into the school property. Cars were line up as usual. As we turned into the school property, the dad said “Look at all them fat momma’s in their SUV’s.” I said “Well, I’ve got to take issue with that. I’m a fat momma and I own and SUV, but at least I don’t drive my Hummer around the block twice a day like you guys do.” Later, the wife hunted me down to let me know that she had to drive the Hummer because she, and I quote, “can’t breath outside air.” Later, they moved to a McMansion with two safety rooms. I always wondered about that family. I never saw either of them work. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/47 "2013-08-28T17:36:40Z")
> [@FuriousGeorge](#): > > We have security guards at the gates to our private road watching for people following our children home everyday. We don’t live in Detroit. Or Grosse Point, for that matter. The last child-related crime of any significance whatsoever in our area was 40 years ago. I don’t think there’s a household in our town that wouldn’t run out the front door, barehanded, if they thought a child needed help. If one of our kids failed to be home on time, I’d be more worried they were stuck in marsh mud or being eaten by a bear than for any human cause. How many kids you got, George? Your responses echo “zero” to me. ---
**Author:** ![FuriousGeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecae2f/32.png) [@FuriousGeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuriousGeorge)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/48 "2013-08-28T17:37:48Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > We don’t live in Detroit. Or Grosse Point, for that matter. > > The last child-related crime of any significance whatsoever in our area was 40 years ago. I don’t think there’s a household in our town that wouldn’t run out the front door, barehanded, if they thought a child needed help. If one of our kids failed to be home on time, I’d be more worried they were stuck in marsh mud or being eaten by a bear than for any human cause. > > How many kids you got, George? Your responses echo “zero” to me. I got three… but they are all married or dating now. Stay off their Facebook page. Though I imagine they are too old for oyu by now anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/49 "2013-08-28T17:39:59Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > Living out here in the real world, it’s easy to forget that moonbats like you actually exist. Is this real, or a parody of modern Liberal hyper political correctness? > > More parody? I’m assuming your assumption that my hatred of lazy fuckers who can’t let their kids walk 200 fucking yards to a bus-stop is a parody, is also a parody. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/50 "2013-08-28T17:49:00Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > “Tiffany” has no special needs; I believe she’s actually one of those annoying dance/soccer/basketball types. Just what the hell could you have against an athletic kid? Are you some bitter fatty? Athletics at a young age will benefit the child for decades to come. Physically, socially, emotionally. It could only help this obese nation to have as many kids as possible playing some sport or dancing. ---
**Author:** ![FuriousGeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecae2f/32.png) [@FuriousGeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuriousGeorge)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/51 "2013-08-28T17:54:20Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Just what the hell could you have against an athletic kid? Are you some bitter fatty? > > Athletics at a young age will benefit the child for decades to come. Physically, socially, emotionally. It could only help this obese nation to have as many kids as possible playing some sport or dancing. Well, maybe not an athletic kid per se, but you know the type… THOSE kind of people… the snobby, judgmental type… ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/52 "2013-08-28T18:02:54Z")
> [@FuriousGeorge](#): > > I got three… but they are all married or dating now. Stay off their Facebook page. Though I imagine they are too old for oyu by now anyway. My oldest would probably be too old for yours. My last two would be jail-bait. The three in the middle… maybe we could find a match. > [@madsircool](#): > > Just what the hell could you have against an athletic kid? Are you some bitter fatty? No, I mean that her whole day is planned for her. She probably doesn’t have \*time \*to walk a whole 200 feet without a coach or a referee timing her, or a medal on the line. As for all the other critiques - we \*know \*this family. Not well, but they’re not strangers, either. Our kids are connected to her in school. She’s a nice kid. If there is the slightest needs/health/real issue involved, they’ve managed to hide it for three years. I maintain that driving your teenager 200-250 feet every single school day and waiting with them in the car until the bus comes is somewhere between peculiar and obsessive. ---
**Author:** ![FuriousGeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecae2f/32.png) [@FuriousGeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuriousGeorge)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/53 "2013-08-28T18:08:58Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I maintain that driving your teenager 200-250 feet every single school day and waiting with them in the car until the bus comes is somewhere between peculiar and obsessive. …and I maintain that even noticing what my teeanger is doing at the bus stop every day is creepy as fuck. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/54 "2013-08-28T18:13:53Z")
> [@FuriousGeorge](#): > > …and I maintain that even noticing what my teeanger is doing at the bus stop every day is creepy as fuck. It’s right in front of my house. My kids are standing there. So I watch the cars maneuvering around TiffMom and am often concerned that a lack of attention by either those drivers or one of the non-chauffered kids is going to cause problems. Creep-ola, that’s me. ---
**Author:** ![FuriousGeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecae2f/32.png) [@FuriousGeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuriousGeorge)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/55 "2013-08-28T18:16:33Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > It’s right in front of my house. > > My kids are standing there. > > So I watch the cars maneuvering around TiffMom and am often concerned that a lack of attention by either those drivers or one of the non-chauffered kids is going to cause problems. > > Creep-ola, that’s me. Yes, your honor, I was only paying attention to this one adolescent girl every single day, because I worried about the safety of the other children. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/56 "2013-08-28T18:21:07Z")
> [@FuriousGeorge](#): > > Yes, your honor, I was only paying attention to this one adolescent girl every single day, because I worried about the safety of the other children. Actually, Jawge, it’s four boys (one mine) and one girl (also mine) and Tiffy is a flash between the SUV and the bus. I can see more of her when she runs each day at 4:28. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/57 "2013-08-28T18:21:20Z")
Just let the helicopter parents alone. When their kids are still living at home at age 30, and mommy has to write their resumes and drop them off for job interviews, you’ll have all the smug satisfaction you want. I made my kids walk by themselves and just generally take care of their own stuff, and now I have to suppress a chuckle when the other moms complain that their fatass kids can’t get off the couch or do anything without help. Jeez, I wonder where they learned to be so dependent? ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/58 "2013-08-28T18:22:26Z")
> [@FuriousGeorge](#): > > Yes, your honor, I was only paying attention to this one adolescent girl every single day, because I worried about the safety of the other children. You may think it looks like you’re scoring some great point here, but it just comes across as the desperate poo flinging of an angry monkey, _George_. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/59 "2013-08-28T18:25:00Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > If she’s getting bullied by one of those kids, or has been in the past, you might not necessarily know just from hanging around at the bus stop or shooting the shit with her parents in the front yard or whatever. Being driven to the bus stop is probably not going to help a great deal with that bullying thing. ---
**Author:** ![FuriousGeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecae2f/32.png) [@FuriousGeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuriousGeorge)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396/60 "2013-08-28T18:25:04Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > You may think it looks like you’re scoring some great point here, but it just comes across as the desperate poo flinging of an angry monkey, _George_. \ This IS the strawman thread, right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-obsessive-parent-neighbor/667396.md?page=4)